1. Technical Field
The present invention is directed to vehicle display lighting, and more particularly to lighting systems that can illuminate multiple components in a vehicle display assembly.
2. Background of the Invention
Vehicle display assemblies often use a backlit liquid crystal display (LCD) so that the display can be viewed easily by the user. Fluorescent light is the most common backlight source for LCDs. To ensure that the display can be read in daytime ambient light, the display backlighting is relatively intense.
The display assemblies may also include buttons for operating, for example, a radio or CD player. Current assemblies illuminate each button with its own incandescent light source, providing backlighting and color for any graphics on the button. Each light source may include a colored boot to produce a desired light color for the button graphics.
As vehicles incorporate more features that require more buttons, the number of light sources also increases. The heat generated from incandescent lights, however, elevates the temperature of the buttons by as much as 20xc2x0 C., enough to be noticeable by a user. Further, the increased temperature may place undesirable thermal stress on the display components. Thermal protection algorithms may be used to monitor the assembly temperature and reduce the light intensity if the temperature reaches a selected threshold until the temperature drops to an acceptable level, but these systems require additional, cumbersome circuitry for turning the button light sources on and off.
There is a need for a display assembly lighting system that can illuminate a main display and adjacent buttons while keeping the assembly temperature within a desirable range.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a vehicle display assembly, comprising a display board, a light source for illuminating the display board, a grounding frame containing the display board and the light source, and at least one button disposed outside the grounding frame, wherein the grounding frame is configured to allow light from the light source to illuminate said at least one button.
The invention is also directed to a vehicle display assembly, comprising a display board, a light source for illuminating the display board, a grounding frame containing the display board and the light source, a display housing that houses the display board, light source, and grounding frame, and a plurality of buttons disposed outside the display housing, wherein the grounding frame is formed without at least one side to allow light passage and the display housing is configured to allow light from the light source to illuminate the plurality of buttons.
Additional advantages and features of the invention will be apparent from the Figures and from the detailed description below.